Many railroad hopper cars of the prior art are formed with chutes having a rectangular discharge opening. A sliding platelike gate operates within this discharge opening. When the opening is closed by the gate, the discharge of any contained lading is prevented. When the gate is operated by capstan means, for example, the gate may be moved from its chute closing position, thereby enabling any contained lading to be discharged through the chute.
In any event, an unauthorized opening of the gate during transit or during the parking of the hopper car, will enable one to have access to the lading. Accordingly, sealed locks have been provided for hopper car gates in the prior art. In many instances, these locks are manually operated and they are so structured that they are relatively inaccessible and cannot be operated from either side of the hopper car. This limited operating position leads directly to many injuries, inasmuch as the gate operator must locate himself beneath a particular side of the hopper car structure. Accordingly, the operator may be required to move around a hopper car to gain operating access to the lock, and any unexpected movement of the hopper car may result in severe injuries to the operator.